Honolulu, Hawaii - Day 4

Still plagued by multiple swollen mosquito bites, W was very concerned and advised that I should go see a doctor at a walk-in clinic. So, in the morning, we walked to a clinic nearby. Turned out that I was having an allergic reaction to the mosquito bites!!! After waiting some more to get the 3 types of medication the doc prescribed for me, we had to go prescribe something for our hungry stomachs.

We initially decided on a Chinese restaurant to have dim sum but the place looked like a tourist trap and their menu didn’t really feature a lot of dim sum variety. Then we remembered a place that one of W’s friend recommended – Ramen Nakamura for some good ol’ comforting, authentic Japanese ramen.

Ramen Nakamura

1 – 2141 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu

Located just a few steps away from the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, Ramen Nakamura is a tiny Japanese-operated ramen shop with a U-shaped counter seating area. It’s a no-frills kind of place where one comes in for quick eats so they can get back out for more surfing.

Shio ramen with gyoza

I opted for the traditional shio ramen and added a plate of gyoza to make it a combo. Maybe because we were spoiled by all the authentic ramen shops that we have in Vancouver, I found Nakamura’s ramen to be average. I mean, the broth was not bad but the toppings and the chashu (bbq pork slice) were just ordinary. Nothing really wowed me. The gyozas were great though! Thin and nicely crisp wrapper with juicy, seasoned pork stuffing! Yum!

Hakata Tonkotsu ramen

W went for their specialty ramen which was the Hakata Tonkotsu ramen. The broth was the same as mine, made from roasted pork bones. The toppings were different though as it was "Hakata" style. I wasn't very fond of those toppings but then again, I think it was because I wasn’t familiar to having pickled ginger and pickled mustard greens on the ramen.

Shirokiya

1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu

In the evening, we paid a visit to Shirokiya, a small Japanese department store inside the Ala Moana Center. Why go to a Japanese department store during dinner time? Well, the whole second floor of Shirokiya is dedicated entirely to good eats!! A food court/market area occupied the floor with different stalls of made-to-order food, pre-cooked items for take-away, fresh seafood, sushi and sashimi, donburi, and even a beer garden!

We took a quick stroll around the floor surveying our choices and decided to order one item from a couple stalls to share.

Kimu Katsu @ Shirokiya

First, we tried the tonkatsu from Kimu Katsu. Their large poster of their golden deep fried mult-layered pork cutlet caught our attention! This was what they proclaim about their pork cutlet:

“The secret to our popularity is the combination of a crispy, texture-rich batter surrounding a juicy flavorful 25-layered select pork cutlet. We select only the highest quality pork, which is sliced thin and stacked into 25 layers. This layered cutlet is covered with our special breadcrumbs from Japan and fried slowly in low temperature for 8 minutes. It is then set vertically for 2 minutes to steam, allowing the heat to spread evenly inside. This is all part of our original recipe and process, which helps to bring forth the maximum taste.”

Kimu Katsu (single $9.80) - with rice, shredded cabbage and original tonkatsu sauce

Though a little pricey, their tonkatsu was really delicious. The panko-breaded exterior was crispy and not oily at all. Just wish there was more tonkatsu sauce to go with the rice.

Yama-chan Takoyaki @ Shirokiya

At Yama-chan’s stall, we originally wanted to try their okonomiyaki but we arrived late and they told us they actually stopped making the pancake after 8pm so we had to settle with their takoyaki instead. The round golden spheres stuffed with octopus pieces were still good but I don’t think it would have been as satisfying as eating their okonomiyaki...

Sashimi @ Shirokiya

For the finale, we shared a small platter of sashimi! There were quite a few stalls selling fresh fish, sushi and sashimi so we just picked a random place and selected a platter that had regular tuna, red tuna and salmon sashimi. 

The pieces were kind of small but the taste and the quality of the fish was present. It was definitely a cool experience sampling a variety of Japanese items while sitting in a beer garden inside a department store!

And you know, while W and I were eating and talking about our day, we felt like we were in Japan more than in Hawaii! Not that we're complaing haha... It's like a 2-in-1 vacation!